Ever wondered how OSHA
decides when to invest its limited enforcement resources on an inspection, why
some places seem to be left alone for years, others never see one, and yet the
guy down the road has been visited four times in three years?
OSHA gets ready to inspect
you if a complaint:
• Is in writing and signed
by a current employee or employee representative, and there are reasonable
grounds to believe that a violation of a safety or health standard or danger
exists under the requirements of OSHA.
• Alleges that physical harm
– such as disabling injuries or illnesses – have occurred, and indicates the
hazard still exists.
• States that a situation is
creating imminent danger.
• Identifies a hazard or
establishment covered by a local or national emphasis program.
• Does not get an adequate
or truthful response from an employer, according to the evidence available.
• Involves a facility that
has a history of egregious, willful or failure-to-abate citations within the
area and within the last three years.
• Causes an OSHA 11(c)
discrimination investigator to request an inspection because an employee
charges unfair treatment after a complaint or because the employee won’t do an
imminently dangerous job or task.
• Coincides with an
inspection scheduled or already begun at an establishment and would normally be
investigated anyway.
– Courtesy of Zurich North
America –
https://secure.zurichna.com/zdu